NCHRO Statement on Aligarh Encounter

Shocking details are coming one by one regarding the encounter killings of two Muslim youths Mustakim (22) and Naushad (17) in Haduaganj in Aligarh on Sep 20th. When the encounter killing of these two youths were reported immediately after it took place in websites like NDTV or DNA they added a note that they were “invited” by the Aligarh police well before they shot those two victims in their presence. Aligarh police chief Ajay Sahni claimed that that the murdered youths were involved in the murder of six persons including two Hindu priests. The media persons who were invited to see the brutal murder have said that the police shot them dead before their eyes. The video clippings of the shooting scene are also now published in these websites.

The Aligarh police say that they chased these two absconding culprits when they saw them crossing in a bike in the early morning on the fateful day and found them hiding in an abandoned old building few kilo meters away. As these boys are not ready to surrender and they began to fire at them the police had to shoot them back.

Uttar Pradesh – Lights, Camera, ‘Encounter’

This is the usual explanation peddled by UP police whenever a fake encounter takes place. Naushad’s mother Shaheen and Mustakeem’s mother Raffeeq say that the police picked up these two from their house in Atrauli. Shaheen also says that the two were innocent and didn’t have any criminal record as the police alleged. They also say that their houses were raided and all the documents and money were taken away by the police.

A fact finding committee organised by an independent advocacy group known as Rihai Manch reveals one more shocking fact behind this fake encounter. Rihai Manch team visited not only the families of Mustakeem and Naushad but also the family members of slain temple priest, Roop Singh, allegedly killed by them on September 14 night. The family members of Roop Singh told them that Naushad and Mustakeem were innocent. Giriraj Singh, brother of the slain temple priest Roop Singh has not only raised doubts over the murder of his brother. Singh had told the team that at the time police claimed that the priest was killed, he was actually with him in the temple.
The UP government says 66 people have been killed in police encounters since March 2017, when Yogi Adityanath took charge as chief minister.

NCHRO strongly believes that this encounter is a fake one. The SC as well NHRC had given detailed guidelines to be followed in case of encounter killings. As per the guidelines all those involved in the encounter should be suspended and cases should be filed against then for murder charges. No gallantry awards or rank promotions should be given to those who are involved in this encounter. Until they prove their innocence they should be treated as murder accused.

Rihai Manch’s Rajiv Yadav (extreme left) and his team visiting families of the two Muslim youths killed in encounter in Aligarh on 20th September 2018.

A high level enquiry should be ordered immediately about this incident as well as other encounter killings happened in UP shortly after Yogi Adityanath assumed power. An encounter takes place only as a last resort to save one’s life. This sort of brutal murder after inviting media people and allowing them to film their gallantry is unimaginable in a democracy and certainly this cannot be categorized as an encounter. We call all the right thinking citizens who believe in the rule of law to come forward and condemn this.